Negation: 無, 毋 and 吂

01

無 — Denying a Fact or an Event

無 (momò) is the workhorse. It goes in front of a verb or an adjective and denies that something is so, or that it happened at all.

• 佢無睡。

  gi mo shoi+kì mò sho̊i

  She isn't sleeping.

• 𠊎無看著。

  ngai mo konˇ doˊngài mò khon tó

  I didn't see it.

• 你看起來無爽快。

  ngi konˇ hiˊ loi mo songˊ kuaiˇngì khon hí lòi mò sóng khoai

  You don't look well.

It is also the negative of 有 (rhiuˋyiû) to have, and in that role it covers both not have and there is not.

• 𠊎無時間。

  ngai mo shi gienˋngài mò shì kiên

  I don't have time.

• 無問題。

  mo munˇ timò mun thì

  No problem.

• 𠊎兜个倈仔無頭路。

  ngai deuˋ gaiˇ laiˇ er mo teu lu+ngài têu kai lai èr mò thèu lů

  Our son doesn't have a job.

Because 無 (momò) denies events as well as possession, a past event is negated with 無 (momò) and never with 毋 (mm̀). Hakka has no past tense, so nothing else in the sentence shifts to mark the time. Standing alone, 無 (momò) is the natural way to answer a question in the negative.

• 無，斯有幾隻。

  mo sii+ rhiuˋ giˊ zhagmò sṳ̊ yiû kí chak

  No, just a few.

02

毋 — Denying a State or an Intention

毋 (mm̀) denies what something is, or what someone is willing to do, rather than reporting that an event failed to happen. Roughly: 無 (momò) says it didn't happen, while 毋 (mm̀) says it isn't so or I won't.

• 𠊎毋中意佢。

  ngai m zhungˇ rhiˇ gingài m̀ chung yi kì

  I don't like it.

• 𠊎毋知該隻樂隊个歌仔。

  ngai m diˋ gai zhag ngogˋ chui+ gaiˇ goˋ erngài m̀ tî kài chak ngo̍k chhůi kai kô èr

  I don't know that band's songs.

• 佢毋係先生。

  gi m heˇ sinˋ sangˋkì m̀ he sîn sâng

  She is not a teacher.

03

毋 Inside the Verb

毋 (mm̀) also drops in between a verb and the word naming its result, and the whole then says the result cannot be reached. This is a genuinely different construction from plain negation: the action is attempted, but it fails. English hides the difference inside can't.

• 𠊎看毋著你。

  ngai konˇ m doˊ ngingài khon m̀ tó ngì

  I can't see you.

• 𠊎尋毋著𠊎个目鏡。

  ngai cim m doˊ ngai gaiˇ mug giangˇngài tshìm m̀ tó ngài kai muk kiang

  I can't find my glasses.

04

The 毋 Compounds

A set of very common words is built on 毋 (mm̀), and each is better learned whole than assembled fresh each time.

• 做毋得 (zoˇ m dedtso m̀ tet) — cannot, may not.
• 毋會 (m voi+m̀ vo̊i) — will not, cannot.
• 毋使 (m siiˊm̀ sṳ́) — no need to.
• 毋好 (m hoˊm̀ hó) — don't, the negative order.
• 毋過 (m goˇm̀ ko) — but.

• 噢，做毋得！

  oˊ zoˇ m dedó tso m̀ tet

  Oh, that's not possible!

• 毋使細義。

  m siiˊ seˇ ngi+m̀ sṳ́ se ngi̊

  No need to be so polite.

• 毋好等忒久。

  m hoˊ denˊ ted giuˊm̀ hó tén thet kiú

  Don't wait too long.

05

吂 — Not Yet

吂 (mangmàng) covers what has not happened so far, leaving open that it still may. Placed at the end of a sentence it asks whether the event has taken place yet, and it is the ordinary way of putting that question.

• 食飽吂？

  shidˋ bauˊ mangshi̍t páu màng

  Have you eaten yet?

• 你開門吂？

  ngi koiˋ mun mangngì khôi mùn màng

  Have you opened the door yet?

• 你準備好愛來食朝吂？

  ngi zhunˊ pi+ hoˊ oiˇ loi shidˋ zhauˋ mangngì chún phi̊ hó oi lòi shi̍t châu màng

  Are you ready to come and eat breakfast yet?

06

Choosing Between Them

A short guide that carries a learner a long way: 無 (momò) for didn't and doesn't have; 毋 (mm̀) for isn't and won't, and before 係 (heˇhe); 吂 (mangmàng) for not yet. When the English is can't because an attempt came to nothing, the negator moves inside the verb rather than standing in front of it.